We're Even Now
by CBloom2
Summary: His brother had saved his life a few months earlier, now it was time to return the favour. A little bit of angst and fluff for our boys!


**So this is another idea that popped into my head, based on a quick taster from the Christmas/winter trailer where you see a car or something crash through a window/wall. I will be tinkering with it slightly and obviously it will include the brothers (I think the scene does anyway - what do you think?). You may feel that the guys are a little out of character but once again, that's what fan fic is all about!**

**As usual I don't own anyone that you recognise.**

**We're Even Now**

"Cal!"

The man in question turned towards the voice, "What can I do for you Nibbles?" he asked the younger man, fondly.

"Once again, would you please stop calling me that..."

"Probably not. Now what's up?"

Ethan suddenly started to colour up and found the floor particularly interesting, "I...I was wondering...wondering if I could have the flat to myself tonight," he spat out quickly, hardly daring to look at his brother.

"Ooo anyone I know?" Cal chuckled.

Ethan did now look at the older man, blowing out an unsteady breath, "Cal," he breathed.

"Of course you can. It is your place after all," he answered as he turned away and began to walk away.

Ethan stood for a few seconds when a flash of light through the large glass window caught the corner of his eye. It only took a split second to realise that the light was getting bigger and brighter...something was heading their way. Ethan never hesitated. He sprung to life, all but throwing himself at his brother as the window and wall exploded beside them.

"Cal! Cal, can you hear me?"

Again, someone was calling his name. Couldn't they just leave him alone? He was asleep, or trying to sleep, but the voice was persistant. Then he felt someone grab his arm and began to help him sit up. He followed the length of the arm up to the familiar face of Charlie Fairhead, "Charlie?" he mumbled.

"Are you alright Cal?" The older nurse demanded.

Why was he asking? Was he alright? His head hurt a little, "What happened?"

"An out of control car crashed through the window - you must have been walking near it, you were lucky you weren't caught underneath it," Lofty had since joined the two men.

Cal looked at the two men. A car...crash...Ethan..."He pushed me out of the way..."

"Who did?" Charlie pressed gently.

"Ethan! Ethan pushed me out of the way. Where is he? Is he alright?" Cal sat up straighter.

"I haven't seen him," Charlie answered, his stomach clenching.

Cal paled, "Oh god. He must be under there...Ethan!"

The young man jumped to his knees and began to shift the debris, all the while shouting for his brother.

Suddenly he heard it...his name, "Cal...Cal...please help me..."

"He's under here. I can hear him. Help me Charlie, Lofty, help me lift this!"

Cal was trying to scramble under the debris only to be pulled back by Lofty, "Cal you're in no fit state to be doing this...Charlie help me lift this and Cal see if you can see Ethan when we lift it."

Lofty and Charlie positioned themselves on either side of the largest piece of debris and lifted with all their might. Cal looked into the space, his stomach knotting when he saw the blonde head, "I can see him," he told the two men.

"Cal," he heard Ethan's breathless cry, "Cal...I can't breathe..."

"We're coming to get you. Just try to stay calm. Lofty and Charlie are going to lift this again and I'm going to pull you out. Can you hear me Ethan? Just stay calm..."

"I...I...can't..." Cal could sense the change in his brother's mood - a change he hadn't seen in Ethan for a long time, "Guys, we need to get him out now! He's displaying signs of a panic attack."

Charlie and Lofty looked at each other, "Ok you ready Cal?" Charlie asked the anxious young man.

Cal glanced at them both, his brow furrowed and his eyes shining, "Yes, let's get him out."

Charlie and Lofty heaved once more giving Cal the room he needed to grab hold of his brother's shoulders and pull him out quickly.

As the two nurses dropped their heavy load, Cal brought Ethan to sit with him on the floor, "I've got you," he whispered to the breathless young man.

Ethan couldn't speak because he was struggling to breathe, "Ethan you need to calm your breathing...Ethan..."

Ethan looked up at his brother and Cal was transported right back to when Ethan had been six years old and had fallen and broken his arm. Cal had been the first one to him and he had seen the same look of fear and pain in the eyes of grown up Ethan as had been in the eyes of little Ethan, "It's ok little brother, just breathe..."

Ethan could hear what his brother was telling him, but he couldn't seem to bring himself to actually comply with it. His chest hurt when he breathed, but that was nothing compared to what his brain was making him remember. Suddenly, out of nowhere, he felt a hand grab his arm and placed his hand to the strangers chest. No, it wasn't a stranger, it was Lofty, who had seen that Cal was in no state to try to calm his brother at the moment, so he decided that he would try, "Ethan can you feel me breathing?"

The young doctor nodded as he tried to drag some much needed oxygen into his protesting lungs, "Ok now try and breathe with me. In, 2, 3,4,5 and out 2,3,4,5..." Lofty carried this on for a while until Ethan's breathing began to even out.

Once Ethan's breathing was back under control, Cal felt his brother start to relax in his arms...he knew what was coming next, "I was back there Cal," Ethan began, his eyes brimming with tears, "Back at the crash...not being able to breathe properly..." The tears began to fall, so Cal pulled him in even closer as he knew that Ethan would be embarrassed if he thought other people had seen him break down.

"Cal, we need to get you both looked at," Charlie told him gently. Cal nodded his agreement, "Can you walk?" he asked his brother, who was desperately trying to wipe the tears away.

"I think so," Ethan answered, although in truth, he had no idea if he could or not.

Cal got to his feet, helping Ethan up as he did so. Straight away, the younger man faulted, dizziness sweeping over him causing him to stagger a little and jar his painful ribs, "Charlie, we need a chair for Ethan," he told the older man, who produced one straight away. Lofty stepped forward and helped Cal lower the injured man into the chair, "Lofty take him to Zoe, she's waiting...I'll get Cal looked at," he instructed the young nurse.

Cal watched in silence as Lofty wheeled his brother away from him, once more tears pooling in his eyes, "He's going to be fine Cal, you both are," Charlie assured him as he gently led the doctor to a cubicle.

Charlie got Cal seated on a bed and proceeded to check his vitals, ignoring the tears that had finally escaped and were dripping onto the bed, "He pushed me out of the way Charlie...can you believe that?"

"That was very brave of him."

"It should be me protecting him, not the other way round," Cal ground out angrily, "He's always had to look out for me - always, but it seems that I can never protect him."

"It's not about keeping score Cal. If it had been the other way round, you'd have done the same without hesitation - it's all down to circumstances, nothing more, nothing less," the older nurse tried to reassure him.

Presently, Zoe popped her head around the curtain. Cal sat up straight, concern radiating off him in waves, "He's fine Cal and he's going to be fine. His breathing is back to normal and he is calmer. It looks like he's got a cracked rib, but seeing what actually fell on him I consider him to be very lucky. I am a little concerned about one thing though..."

"What?" Cal demanded. Zoe had just told him that everything was alright, yet now she had a concern.

"He's asking for you constantly, which in itself is not a bad thing, but knowing Ethan and knowing your relationship, even though it's getting a lot better, well I'm just worried that he might trigger off another panic attack."

Cal ran a hand through his hair. Ethan hadn't had many panic attacks - although he had had a few after the crash, but he did know that he usually fixated on something or somebody until the crisis had passed.

"I should see him," Cal said as he began to get off the bed.

"Look, there's no reason to keep either of you in overnight, but if you think that Ethan would rest better here than at home we can sort it," Zoe assured him.

"No, he'll be fine at home," Cal told her, eager to get his brother home so that they could start forgetting about the whole thing.

"I'll sort out some transport and I don't want to see you boys here for at least a week...either of you." With that, she turned and left Cal to make his way to another cubicle.

He stood outside the cubicle containing his brother. He could hear Lofty talking to him softly, calming, soothing, he was very grateful to Lofty for keeping his brother calm. He slowly opened the curtain, catching the attention of his younger brother, who was propped up on the bed, "Hey there. Zoe said we can go home - you up for that?"

Ethan smiled slightly, sitting himself up even more. He gingerly put his feet to the floor and stood up straight. A small wave of dizziness washed over him and he swayed a little. Cal strode forward to catch him, surprised when Ethan's arms snaked around his waist. Ethan's embrace tightened when he felt Cal move, "I'm glad you're alright," Ethan whispered into his sholder.

"You saved my life," Cal told him as he glanced at Lofty over the top of Ethan's head, the younger nurse taking the hint and leaving the brothers alone.

"I suppose we're even now then," Ethan chuckled quietly.

Cal found himself smiling, "Yeah, well, let's not do this anymore...I can't cope with the stress."

Ten minutes later, the two young doctors made their way to the ED entrance to find Charlie waiting for them with his car, "Taxi for Hardy/Knight," he called. The young men chuckled as he took their bags from them. Cal held the door, watching anxiously as Ethan slid into the back seat, hissing slightly when his cracked rib reminded him that it was there. Once his was settled, Cal followed him making sure that his brother had his seatbelt fastened safely enough, but wasn't causing him any more pain.

As Charlie left the entrance Cal turned to his brother, "So...I guess you won't be wanting the flat to yourself tonight after all?"

Ethan blushed again, "Oh no. I didn't even go to see her," he put his hand over his bright red face.

Cal patted his shoulder, "Don't worry little brother, I have given her our address...I'm sure she'll be over with your favourite coffee tomorrow."

Ethan looked surprised at this statement, "And in the meantime...a week off, sounds like a Die Hard marathon to me," Cal finished, preparing himself for the tirade from Ethan that usually accompanied his suggestions about the Die Hard films.

Ethan looked serious for a moment, "Ok, why not..."

If Cal hadn't already been sitting down, he would've had to have found a place to sit in shock. Ethan never agreed to watch those films with him, "On one condition," Cal knew there had to be a catch and groaned in agony when he realised what that catch was. He could hear the younger man humming the Hobbit theme from the films. He glanced sideways at his brother, who was now grining like a cheshire cat, "Extended versions?" he asked nervously, knowing that would mean at least 20 hours of Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit films. Did he love his films enough to sit through all that? No, he decided, he didn't, but he DID love his brother enough to sit through it, "Ok," he sighed, causing Ethan's eyes to open wide with surprise, "But we are going to need lots of nibbles, Nibbles!"

Now Ethan groaned.

**That's my little offering. Hope it's ok. I'm not so sure, but I'm always nervous.**


End file.
